The Girl With the Scars

Chapter Thirty-Three

Spencer’s POV

I waited impatiently on the cold hard blue chair in the waiting room. They wouldn’t give me any details, or anyone else for that matter except for Mr and Ms.Reynolds, whom I’ve just learnt, Hailey is living with. Where was her mother?

There were so many questions flooding my head but no answers to block out the pain of not knowing what was wrong. Ever since she came back she was never herself, she never smiled or laughed and fuck have I missed the sound of her laugh. She had walls built up and even thinking about the cold look in her eyes makes me shiver.

Something was wrong, something happened when she was gone but she wouldn’t tell anyone. I had tried getting it out of Shay many times but she closed me off saying I didn’t care anyways.

I guess she’s right, why should I care at all? She left me.

I still remember the day I was waiting for her to come to cafe, I ordered her favourite as well as mine and I waited and waited. An hour had passed and soon that hour turned to three. She was coming and I knew it, yes she angry but she loves me enough to try to fix this right?  So I waited patiently until the owner forced me to leave saying it was past closing time. I stayed refuge in my room for the next month, only talking when needed only eating because I was forced to. I hadn’t seen her and it was killing me but I had promised her that I would leave her alone if she didn’t come that day and she made her decision no matter how much it hurt me.

Then a couple months later I was walking into Hailey’s favourite book store, the one she was passing by the first time I had met her. She was singing some Taylor Swift song and swaying around like no was watching. My heart was clenching in pain as I relived that memory, she had brought me here many times after that telling me about how serene this place was for her. She spent every weekend here in this cozy wooden book store.  There were two levels, and each corner had a soft little couch with bright warm blankets and a side table to place a drink. I would come with her and pretend to read while watching her. I learnt how whenever she would start getting into the book or try to imagine whatever it was she was reading, her eyebrows were furrow and her lips would part slightly, or when something sad would happen, her eyes would slightly enlarge and her eyebrows would lift up, her plump pink lips would start to tremble and I would find myself getting really angry at the sight of her upset even if it was over some stupid book. I wanted to hurt whoever was causing her pain.

That day I had revisited that shop, was the same day I had come across Annie. She was a new employee there and she was literally fumbling all over the place, just like Hailey. I had helped her that day putting some of the books away and what not. She convinced me to have a coffee with her and from then on we started hanging out, but something was always a little off about her. A week later I had over heard her conversation with Zach, the same Zach who happened to be the leader of the Rival gang. She was telling him how she would get any information she could from me without me finding out. So I decided to fake date her for the time being and throw them off by giving her false info. I didn’t tell anyone else in the house about this, but they hated her regardless. I stayed with her, cringing at any physical contact I had to make with her. For months I was tiping her off and I would hear her late night convos with Zach.

Everything was going according to plan until I walked in to saw Hailey. She looked thinner, there was no glow to her face and no life in her eyes but she still looked beautiful.

It felt as if my heart stopped and the air in my lungs was knocked out, I wanted to hold her and scold her for leaving me. She was making her way towards me when I saw pain flash in her eyes and she stopped in her place, I was confused until I heard Annie talk. I forgot she was even there. I wanted nothing more than to tell her Annie meant nothing to me but I couldn’t. Not just for the safety of the gang, but for myself as well. When she left she threw everything we had away as well. I hate her.

“S” Jay says looking at me with bloodshot eyes; I looked the same if not worse with heavy bags under my eyes and dried tears on my face.  

I’ve been waiting here for the past 8 hours, no one would tell me anything and it was pissing me off.

My jaw tightens and my nails dig into my palms drawing blood, but I couldn’t bring myself to utter word. Rage filled my system and my heartfelt a thousand times heavier.

“There was what?” I hiss.

“She has second degree cigarette burns covering her lower back as well as her arms, she also had scars, a lot of them from-“ He starts but I cut him off.

“Stop” I whisper feeling light headed.

“You need to hear this, I'm sorry S” He says and calls Ms.Reynolds over.

“Who did this to her” I ask shaking in rage.

“S-“

“WHO DID THIS TO HER!” I shout my eyes filling with frustrated tears.

“Sit down” She orders and I oblige.

“When she was back home with her mother, she had a boyfriend” She starts and I feel my heart clench.

“Hailey's boy-“

“No, her mother's” She explains and I feel relieved a little.

“He- He would beat Hailey and he made her a toy for his friends to play with, he would burn her with his cigars and laugh encouraging his friends to do the same. They rarely ever fed her and she still stayed though, for her mother. She knew that if she left then they would hurt her, so she let them do this to her.” She says.

“Why didn’t she just come back or tell her mother or someone” I say not caring about the tears wetting my cheeks anymore.

“Honey, she would scream and cry, her mom didn’t care” She said. I felt sick just thinking about her crying out for help and no one saving her.

I was supposed to protect her.

“Is she awake?” I ask and she nods slowly.

“She asked the doctor to not let anyone in though” She said sadly. I ignored this and made my way down the hall towards her room.

The door opened and out walked the doctor readjusting the papers on his clipboard.

“Young man, there are no visitors allowed at the time” He says and I push past him ignoring his protests and into the room.

Hailey was laying on the bed, multiple wires attached everywhere, looking deadly pale and exhausted

“Hails” I whisper not able to control my tears.

“Spencer?” She whispers her voice strained.

I stood stiffly, not knowing what to do. Part of me wanted to yell at her, for leaving and for enduring all that pain but all I really wanted was to hold her. 

“Why?” I ask and her eyes squint as she looks confused.

“Why didn’t you tell me” I demand.

“What did you want me to say? It wasn’t going to fix anything” She says and I see her trying to build her wall up again.

“It would have changed a lot!” I hissed.

“Like what Spencer? Look I asked for no vis-“

“I know” I say shaking my head.“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me” The facts still sinking in.

“Spencer, you moved on and you were happy why would I bring you down” She whispers.

“Happy? HAPPY?” I shout.

“How on Earth could I have been happy with anyone else when all I do is compare every aspect of her to you, she’ll never be YOU” I shout as nurses walk in.

“Why are you hurting yourself” She whispers looking torn.

“I not hurting myself, I’m in love with you Hails” I shout as the nurses drag me out of the room.